National Food Acqusition and Purchase Survey -- Refusals/Non-respondents

APPENDIX S
REFUSAL CONVERSION LETTER

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March 30, 2012
Dear [FNAME LNAME/“Resident”]:
An interviewer from Mathematica Policy Research recently visited your home to invite you to take
part in the National Food Study, sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture
(USDA). We are sorry you were unable or uninterested in taking part in the study at that time.
The National Food Study is interviewing households across America to learn about the types of
foods people get to feed their families, the places where people get food (e.g. supermarkets,
restaurants, school cafeterias, et cetera), and the prices paid for food. This information will help the
USDA improve programs and ensure all residents of the United States have access to healthy foods
at affordable prices.
We need your help! Your address was selected at random using a scientific process to make sure
that every household in the United States had an equal chance of being selected for this study. Your
participation is important! We need to interview people at every selected address so that we have a
complete and accurate picture about food in the United States.
Your information is confidential. There are no right or wrong answers, and you can skip any
question you do not want to answer. Your name will not be linked to any of your answers, and the
law prohibits us from giving anyone any information that may identify you or your family. The
information you provide will not affect any benefits or services received by anyone in your
household.
You will receive $100 or more for your time! The primary food shopper in the household, who
completes three interviews and keeps track of food, will receive a $100 check at the end of the
week. The primary food shopper will also receive up to three $10 gift cards, one for each call to
report the foods you get. Each additional member of the household will get one gift card if they
report the foods they get during the study week ($10 gift card for children age 11 to 14, and $20
gift card for persons age 15 and older).
In the next week, an interviewer will visit your home again. Please reconsider our request and be
part of the National Food Study. Please visit our website at www.usdafoodstudy.org, or call 866275-8659 if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Dr. Nancy Cole
Project Director, National Food Study